UPDATE: Patong police investigate report tuk-tuk driver was drugged and robbed of gold, phone
Patong police said a tuk-tuk driver identified as Mr. Somnuek was allegedly drugged after a woman asked him to taste coffee, then robbed of gold jewelry worth more than 300,000 baht and a mobile phone.
Police in Patong are investigating a report that a tuk-tuk driver was drugged and robbed of gold jewelry and a mobile phone after a woman allegedly asked him to taste coffee.
Police identified the victim as Mr. Somnuek, a tuk-tuk driver operating in the Patong area. Police said he picked up a female passenger at about 9:00 p.m. on June 4. The woman was described as Thai and wearing a hat to conceal her face, and she hired him to drive to Karon for a video recording before he later returned her to the vicinity of Kalim School in Patong.
According to police, the woman then offered him coffee, saying she was preparing to start a business selling the beverage and wanted his opinion on the taste. After drinking the coffee in a single gulp, he reportedly felt drowsy and lost consciousness.
When he awoke, he discovered that his gold necklace and bracelet, weighing about five baht and valued at more than 300,000 baht, were missing along with his mobile phone.
Police Lieutenant Sakwanat Damcha-om, a deputy investigation inspector at Patong Police Station, received the emergency call at 5:47 a.m. on June 5. Good Samaritans had already helped the victim, who was found disoriented near the Kalim Beach tuk-tuk stand, and took him to Patong Hospital. The case was then reported to Pol Col Korakrit Khankhruea, superintendent of Patong Police Station, before officers went to examine the incident.
Investigators have recorded the victim’s statement, though police said he remained in a confused state. Authorities have requested blood tests to determine whether he was drugged with narcotics or other substances, and officers are reviewing CCTV footage in the area to identify and locate the suspect.
